TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Bridging the knowledge gap: advances in the distribution of Tenuipalpidae mites in Central and Eastern Europe 
VL  - 65
IS  - 4
SP  - 1199
EP  - 1212
PY  - 2025
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Zhovnerchuk, Olha V.
AU  - Ochoa, Ronald
AU  - Glik, Tobias E.
AU  - Tassi, Aline D.
AU  - De Giosa, Marcello
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/yunh-z34k
DO  - 10.24349/yunh-z34k
DA  - 2025-11-28
ET  - 2025-11-28
KW  - flat mites
KW  - Slovakia
KW  - Ukraine
KW  - taxonomy
KW  - invasive mites
KW  - plant protection 
AB  - The Tenuipalpidae family includes globally distributed plant-feeding mites of economic concern due to their potential as phytopathogen vectors and their role in damaging ornamental and agricultural plants. This study presents a faunistic survey of flat mites across Slovakia and Ukraine, in addition to complementary data from the Netherlands, Hungary, and Bulgaria via U.S. interception records. Field collections in Slovakia and Ukraine yielded 13 tenuipalpid species across three genera, with several new national and continental records, including four Pentamerismus species recorded for the first time in Europe. New host plant associations, particularly involving coniferous and ornamental taxa, were frequently documented. These findings expand the known distribution of flat mites in Central and Eastern Europe and underscore the importance of targeted faunistic surveys for understanding species diversity, host range, and potential pathways of introduction. The integration of systematic field sampling, literature reviews, and interception data supports early detection and regulatory measures critical for plant protection and biosecurity programs.
ER -